Mackenzie Makes Top Five In Hockeyville Countdown

Saturday, March 19, 2011 08:09 PM

Road Hockey Day in Mackenzie on Jan 22nd photo courtesy Kraft Hockeyville

Prince George, B.C. - The little community that could...

Mackenzie has made the top five finalists in the bid to become Kraft Hockeyville 2011, beating out Fort Nelson by a vote of 335,261 to 147,047 for the right to represent the Pacific region in the countdown to the April 2nd announcement of the ultimate winner.

The other contenders are: Bentley, Alberta; Wolfe Island, Ontario; Saint Raymond, Quebec; and Conception Bay South, Nfld.

The community crowned Hockeyville will win $100-thousand dollars to upgrade its arena, host an NHL pre-season game in that arena, and have a CBC Hockey Night In Canada broadcast from the community. The prizes are still outstanding for the four runners-up - $25-thousand dollars to upgrade their community arenas (that would be the Alan Sheppard Arena in Mackenzie), as well as a Hockey Night In Canada broadcast from the community.

To watch the announcement, made by Brendan Morrison on Hockey Night In Canada, click on the photo at right.

Voting for the winner is now underway and will run for the next two days. There are only two ways to vote: online at www.krafthockeyville.ca or by phoning toll-free 1-866-533-8066. The voting is unlimited.

A Facebook page set up to garner support for Mackenzie (Mackenzie BC is Hockeyville) has 10,042 members and many have already begun voting, yet again. Jeremy Vander Maaten posts that he has three computers "voting up a storm for Mackenzie" in Okotoks, Alberta. Lianne Lynch writes, "ok, thats 100 votes down.. need to give my fingers a rest and then back at it."

In her submission to Kraft Hockeyville, Rae Surgenor says she's lived in Mackenzie for four years and says hockey has kept peoples' spirits up through the community's hard times.

"No matter what you always see people in the stands cheering on the Mackenzie players," she writes. "When people couldn't afford to put there (sic) kids in hockey, people got together donated hockey gear and fundraised money to lower fees. Mackenzie is a true Hockey town filled with community spirit and support. After the last 3 years of hardship this community has undergone and watching hockey as one of the big things keeping people together I feel that Mackenzie should win Kraft Hockeyville."

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